'Food at home was never boring' - MasterChef finalist

Brin Pirathapan, 29, said he had been watching MasterChef for almost two decades

A fans' favourite on TV show MasterChef has said his love of cooking is inspired by his Sri Lankan heritage.

Brin Pirathapan, 29, from Chelmsford, is one the three finalists on the BBC One show.

Dr Pirathapan, who was working as a veterinary surgeon in Bristol before entering the show, said his passion for food was sparked by his parents.

"The food I grew up with was never boring, coming from a Tamil, Sri Lankan background - we had nice food on the table and it's never bland," he said.

Brin Pirathapan lives in Bristol but was brought up in Chelmsford

He said the home cooking he experienced growing up set the standard for him.

"It gave me that basis of learning about flavour and creating flavour and from there I started looking into different cultures and cuisines and built up my repertoire from there," he said.

"I've been incredibly lucky with the amount of support I have had.

"It so nice that everyone is proud of me in this quite different career path of what I know."

'Second chance'

Dr Pirathapan still works as a vet but said he would love to work in the food industry in the future.

"I have almost been given this incredible second chance to focus on a proper passion of mine and I would love to take it forward," he said.

"My priority now is going to be food."

He told BBC Essex he had watched MasterChef since he was a boy and would have regretted not applying this year.

"The first time I walked into that kitchen... and it just hit me like a tonne of bricks that I was there," he said.

"It looks exactly like it does on the show. It doesn't look like a TV set - it looks like the big kitchen and you're just there in that kitchen you've been watching for two decades now”.

"That was a pretty big moment - it was definitely nerve-racking but super-exciting as well."

The final airs on Wednesday at 20:00 BST on BBC One and catch-up is available on BBC iPlayer.